Dan Boyle: 'Devastating' not to be asked back by Sharks

SAN JOSE -- Dan Boyle talked Friday about how hard it was to hear that his days with the Sharks were over, how negotiations never reached the point where salary was discussed, how he was the one who pressed general manager Doug Wilson for a quick decision.

But the usually candid defenseman declined to offer an opinion on what's keeping the Sharks from winning a Stanley Cup.

"I've definitely shared my thoughts with Doug. We have our year-end meetings every year, and this year's was probably the most honest and intense," Boyle said. "I'm pretty honest with you guys, but with respect to my teammates and the organization, I won't share my thoughts with you. I don't think it's fair to do that."

San Jose Sharks' Dan Boyle (22) reacts to a missed scoring opportunity against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period for Game 5 of an NHL first-round playoff series at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, April 26, 2014. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Nhat V. Meyer
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With the Sharks looking to make changes after becoming only the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 playoff series lead, Boyle said he recognized his time with the team might be coming to an end after six seasons.

Still, he said, it hurt when Wilson told him Thursday there would be no extension offered to a contract that expires June 30. Wilson indicated the team wanted to give more responsibility to its younger players. Boyle turns 38 in July.

"Even though I was kind of expecting it a little bit, yeah, it's devastating," Boyle said. "I've been here for six years, and I was clear that I wanted to be back here. I loved it here. Pretty tough news to take, but when you lose the way we did, you figured changes would need to be made."

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Boyle said it was fair to call contract length the sticking point, as money was never on the table. The Sharks mentioned only the possibility of a one-year deal, Boyle said, and he was looking for two.

"It never really went anywhere from there," Boyle said.

Boyle again acknowledged this season was tough because of the concussion he suffered Oct. 15. That is behind him now, he said. "Moving forward I feel real good. I will wait till July 1 to see what is out there. I'm obviously crushed and hurt by what happened, but I'm a competitor. I want to win the Stanley Cup," said Boyle, who won one in 2004 with Tampa Bay. "That's what I'm excited about, and I'm looking forward to the next opportunity."

The only regret he has about his time in San Jose, Boyle said, was the team's failure to reach its ultimate goal.

"Playing here in front of these fans was just an incredible experience, and obviously I'm going to leave with regret that we didn't get the job done," he said. "But when I look in the mirror, I know that I gave it every thing I had."

Boyle, who had 68 goals and 269 points in 431 games as a Shark, said he was inundated with well-wishes after the news broke he wouldn't be back next season.

"With texting now, guys don't want to necessarily call you because they know it's kind of a tough, difficult time," he said. "But I've received tons of texts from teammates and guys on other teams -- guys wanting me to come play for other teams."

Boyle said it had been both a tough and exciting 24 hours.

"It's definitely a confusing time," he said. "But it is what it is. It's a business at the end of the day. Things happen."